We request partial support for the 1989 Gordon Research Conference on Biological Regulatory Mechanisms. The purpose of the Conference is to promote exchange among a diverse group of scientists who are making outstanding contributions to research in this field. The conference is noted for its wide focus: it considers regulatory systems in a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, with emphasis on both conceptual and methodological advances. The 1989 Conference will include two new topics 1) Evolutionary considerations in the study of biological regulatory mechanisms, which will emphasize diversity to be found within the eukaryotic kingdom and within the archaebacterial kingdom of prokaryotes and 2) Regulation of plant gene expression, an area of intense study and current interest. Other session topics, which represent areas of rapid progress, include: Signal transduction: 1 millisecond to 10 seconds. The apparatus of cell division, Regulation of cell cycle progression, Developmental pattern formation, Regulation of gene expression, and Macromolecular assemblies. We hope that the program will attract conferees from university, government and industrial settings in the U.S. and abroad. The format will include poster sessions as well as the traditional lecture/discussion sessions to encourage direct participation by as many conferees as possible.